The real poker doesn't even begin until the antes kick in, IMO. Remember, at it's very essence, poker is a battle for the blinds and antes. Clearly, tight players would prefer no antes, but then ultimately, wouldn't we all like a game where we were only ever required to play the top 10% of hands?
To me, removing the antes is like taking the clock out of a football game. Some teams are great at no-huddle hurry-up, and others struggle. In poker you don't always get to have a say in the structure, so you have to be able to adapt as the situations arise.